Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has signed a massive contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and many fans had the same reaction to the news.
Gilgeous-Alexander has agreed to a 4-year, $285 million supermax extension with the Thunder, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The new deal does not kick in until the 2027-28 season, but it would represent the highest annual salary of any player in league history.
BREAKING: NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has agreed to a four-year, $285 million super maximum contract extension with the championship Oklahoma City Thunder through 2030-31, sources tell ESPN. This is now the richest annual salary for a player in league history. pic.twitter.com/eptbVjUo6j
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2025
Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off a historic season in which he averaged 32.7 points per game. He is just the fourth player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring during the regular season, win an NBA title and be named NBA Finals MVP in the same year. The other three players who accomplished the feat are Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
While it was a no-brainer for the Thunder to extend Gilgeous-Alexander, several fans pointed out that OKC is likely going to have issues with the second apron and luxury tax down the road.
The downfall of the Thunder start now, the CBA will cook this team, just give it time
— 𝗧𝗖 (@TatumCeltics) July 1, 2025
That second apron gonna hit them like a ton of bricks 💔
— APHoops (@APH00PS) July 1, 2025
The 2nd Apron is going to run through this team like an expired empanada.
— Nate Babcock (@Nate_J_Babcock) July 1, 2025
The CBA is gonna rip this team apart.
— Savage (@SavageSports_) July 1, 2025
2nd apron destroying this team btw
— 🔪🗣️ (@knifetalkmavs) July 1, 2025
The second apron is projected to be at $207.8 million next season. Teams that spend beyond that amount become limited in their roster flexibility. There are multiple restrictions placed on teams’ ability to make trades, such as salary matching limits. They can’t use the full midlevel exception to sign players, and there are significant luxury tax penalties, where the amount a player signs for can cost the team much more in penalties.
While the threshold will rise each season, it will be incredibly difficult for the Thunder to extend their own core players and add other pieces with Gilgeous-Alexander making more than $70 million per year in the future. That is the point of the second apron, which exists to prevent excessive spending.
The second apron has led to rumors of some of the best players in the league being traded. The Thunder are committed to chasing another title with their current core, but that could become more difficult to do each year.
